Welcome to a new era of Toronto FC soccer, one in which the Reds are capable of going to places like CenturyLink Field and earning three points. Thanks to two first half goals from Jermain Defoe, a revamped TFC registered a 2-1 victory in Seattle, sending early notice to those left doubting the potential their offseason rebuild.

After Seattle controlled much of the ball over the match’s first quarter-hour, Toronto broke through in the 16th minute, with Jonathan Osario setting up Defoe. Eight minutes later, a poor back pass from Seattle’s Marco Pappa allowed Defoe to add his second from inside the arc, giving the Reds a lead two-goal lead they’d carry well past halftime.

Converting on a second half counter attack, Clint Dempsey cut Toronto’s lead to one, scoring his first of the season to make it 2-1 in the 68th minute. Awakened, Toronto was able to carry their one-goal edge to full-time, starting their 2014 season with a victory on the road.

For Seattle, the result drops the team to 1-1-0, with the Sounders slipping after last week’s opening day win over visiting Sporting Kansas City. While that slip was defined by a poor performance over Saturday’s first 45 minutes, the Sounders will be able to take little consolation from a spirited response that left them one goal short.

Toronto’s initial break through came after Osorio, having done well to maintain control at the edge of the Reds’ attacking third, fed a ball into the left channel for Defoe. Taking advantage of the positioning of Chad Marshall and DeAndre Yedlin, Defoe beat former Red Stefan Frei into the right of goal, giving Toronto an early lead.

Eight minutes later, Defoe doubled his goal total, taking advantage of a poor back pass from Pappa to score the game’s winning goal. After retrieving the ball just outside the Seattle penalty area, Defoe dribbled onto his right foot inside the arch, giving him an open look at the right side of Frei’s goal. Beating the new Seattle number one for the second time in eight minutes, Defoe put his new team up, 2-0.

The second half saw a more aggressive Seattle team generate a couple of early chances for Obafemi Martins. In the 68th minute, however, it as the Nigerian’s part in building an attack that led to the Sounders’ break through.

Countering off a ball played wide right by Dempsey, Martins streaked down the flank, seeing no resistance before hitting the edge of Toronto’s penalty area. Once there, Martins laid off to his left for an oncoming Dempsey, who blasted home from just inside the box to reduce his team’s deficit to one.

Having relinquished control to Seattle for the half’s first 23 minutes, Toronto began putting up more of a fight after Dempsey’s goal. Whereas the Reds were too willing to collapse into the defensive third before conceding, Toronto started maintaining some possession once their lead was reduced. Though the team wasn’t able to generate any significant chances over the match’s final 22 minutes, they were able to stymie the control Seattle had exercised over the period’s opening moments.

With Marshall coming forward to threaten on the match’s late set pieces, Seattle maintained the threat of an equalizer against Nelsen’s conservative tactics. Once full-time was blown, however, Toronto had survived Seattle’s late pressure, giving them the first win of their new, higher profile era.

“Arsenal, as a team, look in good shape and whilst we have a lot of confidence, given their form too, it isn’t a good time to play them.

“At times, Arsenal have struggled with consistency, and it has cost them, but you sense this could be their year. It’s important for us to give ourselves an opportunity to get something out of the game, we need to stay in the match and frustrate them.”

This week’s match with Arsenal kicks off a four-week run that goes Arsenal, Saints, Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea.

Nicolas Loderio is getting set to play in the MLS Cup finals, something that only came to pass with a team visit to the United States, and the assistance of Luis Suarez.

According to Seattle Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey, he spoke with Lodeiro often in his attempts to bring the 27-year-old from Boca Juniors to Major League Soccer. The moment that swayed him was a trip to the US. A business trip.

With Uruguay competing in the Copa America Centenario, it allowed the two to speak more frequently, but when the Uruguayan became frustrated with his own handle of the native language, a friend stepped in to help. He asked national teammate Suarez to help translate, and thus the transfer came to pass.

“You don’t have body language, it’s harder than it is straight to the face and so he just got frustrated that he couldn’t understand everything that I’m saying,” Lagerwey told MLSSoccer.com’s radio show. “And so he says, ‘Hold on, speak to my friend,’ and I said, ‘OK,’ and I have no idea what’s happening. And Luis Suarez gets on and says, ‘Hi, this is Luis Suarez, how are you?’ And I’m like, ‘Morning, Mr. Suarez, how are you?’ And he was our translator.”

Lodiero has been a revelation for the Sounders since joining in the summer. A creative force all season, the Uruguayan has scored four goals in five playoff matches, bursting onto the national scene on the biggest stage.

“It was just funny. Nico and I, we talked fairly regularly during the process, in part because it took four months for the thing to play out,” “And he was in the US for the Copa America with Uruguay, obviously, and in hindsight that ended up being a big deciding factor for him, because he brought his wife and his little son and they got to see America and I think liked it and developed a comfort level with it. And I think that’s what ultimately pushed them to make the leap, but I was talking and Nico’s English is actually pretty, pretty good, but he isn’t always so comfortable on the phone.”

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Zinedine Zidane is one match away from coaching Real Madrid to a new unbeaten record.

When Zidane replaced Rafa Benitez midway through last season, the inexperienced former midfield standout got off to an auspicious start with a 5-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

Eleven months and one Champions League title later, Madrid faces Deportivo again at home on Saturday with the chance of surpassing its longest unbeaten run since the club was founded in 1902.

On Wednesday, Madrid equaled a club record of 34 games without a loss set in 1989 under coach Leo Beenhakker when it drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund.

“It’s important to continue to make history and continue our good run,” Zidane said after the match. “I don’t think it’s very important for me to leave my mark. What interests me the most is to continue with this great run that we’re on.”

Last season, when Real Madrid president Florentino Perez tapped Zidane to take over a struggling team, the decision smelled of desperation.

A fan favorite from his playing days as part of Madrid’s “galaticos” bunch, Zidane was promoted from coaching the reserve team to take over a side that was lurching from one embarrassing episode to the next.

Madrid’s 2015-16 campaign had started with Perez flubbing his play to sign away Manchester United goalie David De Gea. The team was then disqualified from the Copa de Rey for fielding an illegible player, and it endured a 4-0 defeat from Barcelona at home as it failed to click with Benitez.

Perez needed to make an impact move. But instead of searching for a veteran manager, he charged the unproven Zidane with turning around Madrid’s group of talented underachievers.

At first, the team remained erratic, and even looked set to bow out of the Champions League after a shocking 2-0 loss at German side Wolfsburg.

But that defeat on April 6 proved to be a catalyst. The team hasn’t lost since, recovering to claim its 11th European Cup and almost nip Barcelona for the Spanish league crown, before roaring out to lead la Liga this season.

Zidane, whose top-tier coaching experience had been limited to his stint as an assistant under Carlo Ancelotti, has now reached the half-century mark as head manager. During that 50-match period, he has overseen 37 wins, 11 draws and only two losses. That other loss came at Atletico Madrid in February.

“The players have to be congratulated. They’re the ones out on the pitch, it’s them who run, fight and dig in,” Zidane said. “We also have to thank the fans, who always get behind the team and support us. They’ve got to take some credit for what the team is achieving”.

Gifted with world-class stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, Zidane focused on getting more from Madrid’s supporting cast. He put a new emphasis on defense in his midfield by favoring Mateo Kovacic and Casemiro over flashier playmakers James Rodriguez and Francisco “Isco” Alarcon, and he has helped the little-known Lucas Vazquez blossom into an important piece of its attack.

“(Zidane) has gotten us to work hard and for things to go well for us, and that is paying off with this run of 34 unbeaten games,” defender Dani Carvajal said. “Everyone on the team has words of praise for him.”

Whereas the draw with Dortmund was disappointing because it cost Madrid a first-place finish in its Champions League group, its 1-1 stalemate earned last weekend at Barcelona tasted of victory. The “clasico” draw kept Madrid six points clear of Barcelona at the top of the Spanish table.

After it plays Deportivo, Madrid heads to Japan for the Club World Cup.

If Zidane sets the new club mark, his next goal would be the milestone held by Barcelona under counterpart Luis Enrique, whose 39-game unbeaten run was ended by Madrid last April.